


Traumatic Experiences

by Vellenox



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Elevatorstuck, M/M, Neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-12
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2018-01-08 11:52:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1132318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vellenox/pseuds/Vellenox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is Derek's upstairs neighbour, the one that makes all the noise and wakes Derek up when he's trying to sleep after working late night shifts. Derek is Stiles' downstairs neighbour, the one that broods and yells at him to stop making all the noise, but Stiles can't really hear Derek over how hot and bare chested he is for the first time they meet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> When I was on Tumblr I got a prompt to write a little ficlet about Stiles and Derek getting stuck on an elevator together, so I expanded a bit.
> 
> Beta'd by the beautiful, wonderful laynacakes <3

Derek did _not_ like his new upstairs neighbour. The guy that moved in – named Biles Bilinski, or something equally as absurd as that – was loud, obnoxious, and an early riser, which meant that when Derek got home from a very long, very exhausting midnight shift, he’d only be asleep for a total of five minutes before the stomping around upstairs jostled him awake. The new guy had only been living there for two days before Derek started contemplating the various ways he could kill him and hide the body.

After a week of loss of sleep, with a killer irritability due to this depravity, Derek finally decided it was time to pay his new neighbour a visit.

He’d just been on the cusp of falling into a much needed deep sleep when a loud _thud_ sounding from the floor above him startled him back to consciousness. With a frustrated growl he kicked the sheets and heavy blanket away off him and stomped out of his apartment.

He took the elevator up to the eighth floor (his apartment being on the seventh) and made his way to apt. 809. He banged on the door, making it rattle on its hinges with the force of his fist. He stood there waiting impatiently, his anger growing with every second that ticked by, and made it to a full ten seconds before he started knocking on the door again, five times harder than before.

Finally the door opened, swinging inwards to reveal a perturbed, short, (and extremely attractive) blonde woman. Her bright red lips puckered as her darkly outlined eyes scanned Derek from head to toe. He had been expecting some dude he could shamelessly lose his temper on; not a girl.

Suddenly Derek regretted not throwing a shirt on before leaving his room; as it was, his chest was bare to scrutiny. Usually he didn’t mind a little attention; he had a great body and he’d worked hard for it, but under her heavy gaze he felt infinitely smaller.

“What do we have here?” She purred and he looked down at his feet. For a moment his mind blanked, his awkwardness reverting his brain to basic thoughts like, _I have no shirt on_ , and, _why don’t I have a shirt on?_ It took him a long moment to remember why he’d went up there in the first place, but as soon as he did, the anger from before returned and replaced his embarrassment.

“You sound like an elephant.” He ground out and she scowled, clearly offended.

“Excuse me?” She asked, crossing her arms as the playfulness from barely ten seconds ago washed away into a cold rage.

He looked down at her feet and glowered at her seven-inch heels. He rolled his eyes. “Those.” He said, pointing at her shoes.

She lifted her heel, inspecting the shoe with a look of complete adoration. “Aren’t they gorgeous?” She asked, her voice almost melting with reverence. “I had to wait until they went on sale, and this old lady almost grabbed them, but I was quicker.” He was pretty sure that if it didn’t require her to bend down, she’d be caressing the high heels delicately, whispering sweet nothings and declarations of love to them.

He sighed. “They make too much noise on the floor.” He stated, and it was her turn to roll her eyes. That just pissed him off more. “For over a _week_ I haven’t been able to sleep because of you.”

The girl raised one of her perfectly arched eyebrows at him. “An entire week, huh?” She asked, and he looked at her like she was an idiot, because yeah, that’s basically what she was to him. “Stiles! It’s for you!” She yelled and lingered in the doorway until someone behind her pushed her out of the way.

“Obviously it’s for me, it’s _my_ apartment. Why are you answering my door?” Stiles – Derek deduced, and still didn’t understand how that was a legit name – hip-checked the girl out of his way as he spoke. It wasn’t until she disappeared that he finally looked over to see who was standing in his doorway. “Uh… who are you?”

Derek’s nostrils flared as he took a deep breath, reminding himself that killing his neighbour wasn’t the best idea. Not with a camera just down the hallway. “Derek. Hale.” He paused as Stiles’ eyes traced over his bare chest. “I work the graveyard shift and when I come home I’m exhausted. But when I try to sleep all I can hear is you. Up here. Stomping around. It needs to stop.”

Stiles tilted his head and leaned on the frame of the doorway. “Derek Hale. That sounds familiar.” He paused, and suddenly his eyes lit up in recognition. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Derek, “Ms. Davis mentioned you when she brought me her delicious tuna casserole.” He stopped talking again, giving Derek time to seriously regret going up there in the first place. All he wanted was affirmation that he’d be able to sleep again; instead he was getting a lengthy introduction that he didn’t ask for. Stiles held out his hand, smiling brightly. “I’m Stiles. Stiles Stilinski. I just moved in here about a week ago.”

Derek stared plainly at Stiles, trying to make it obvious that he didn’t care by not shaking the extended hand. “You didn’t listen to a single word I just said.” Stiles frowned.

“What?” He asked and then made a slur of a noise that sounded an awful lot like ‘ _asdfghjkl_ ’. “Oh, right, right. Yeah, sorry about that.” He pushed his front door in all the way to further reveal the inside of his apartment. The front hallway was identical to Derek’s – same layout at least. The decorations were a bit different.

Where Derek had a minimalist approach to all things interior Stiles had the opposite attitude. It was clear that Stiles had just moved in. There were boxes everywhere – some empty, some not even opened yet, all of them stacked on top of each other dangerously resembling a game of Jenga or Tetris. There was only a small space to allow for any sort of movement, which Stiles was disappearing down.

Derek stood in the doorway, completely confused. Suddenly Stiles poked his head around the corner of one of the Leaning Tower of Boxes. “You comin’?” He asked and Derek took a stuttered step into the apartment, the action being more of a reflex than a conscious decision. Stiles disappeared again with a, “close the door behind you please!”

Derek stood there a moment – half-naked and half-asleep, still not completely sure why he wasn’t back in his bed sleeping peacefully by now – but with a sigh he complied, shutting the front door and making his way through the box maze until he just about face-planted into Stiles’ back.

“As you can see, it’s still a bit messy in here.” Stiles said as he leaned over to clear off a place on the brown, old-looking couch. Once he moved the random assortment of magazines, newspapers, and books, he patted the seat and motioned for Derek to take it.

“How many boxes do you have?” Derek asked as he sat down, albeit rigidly. Stiles looked around and shrugged.

“This is just the stuff I brought here from my dorm. I’m probably gonna get rid of most of it, but,” he shrugged again, “I have to go through it first.” Stiles stood there for a long moment, staring at the boxes until Derek felt awkward enough to clear his throat to try and regain Stiles’ attention. When that didn’t work he stood up abruptly, almost knocking into Stiles.

“Look, I’m tired. I want to sleep. Can you just _please_ try to be a little quieter?” Being polite wasn’t his forte, so the _please_ sounded a little strained. It also didn’t help that his vision was beginning to blur, and he could feel a migraine coming on. Stiles snapped back to attention.

“Yeah! Yeah, sure thing dude. All the heavy stuff’s pretty much all moved in now, so,” he rubbed his hands together before waving towards the front of the apartment. “Thanks for dropping by!” Derek made a small grunting noise, which he hoped conveyed his annoyance enough that it would deter Stiles from ever wanting to interact with him ever again; therefore instilling the idea to remain as silent as possible in the future.

He trudged out of the apartment without a word.


	2. Chapter 2

“He was hot.” Erica remarked from where she leaned against the open frame that connected the kitchen to the front hallway. Stiles smirked, because yeah, Ms. Davis hadn’t been exaggerating when she described Derek as, “ _one of the sexiest men in existence._ ”

Stiles had to stop himself from drooling, really. “That’s an understatement.” Stiles replied before remembering what he’d been doing when all that _sexy_ had interrupted him and Erica. “Can we get back to my bedroom now?” He asked and wiggled his eyebrows. Erica winked at him and he led her back to where they’d been when the front door had erupted into a fury of banging.

As soon as they reached the bed he leaned over and grabbed the frame.

“We should make as much noise as possible to see if he comes up again.” She smirked and Stiles shook his head.

“Hell no. Did you see those eyebrows? Those were the eyebrows of a serial killer – an extremely sexy serial killer, but still. He was pissed.” Erica sighed and rounded to the other side of the bed. She leaned over and grabbed the frame, and then Stiles asked, “Ready?” She nodded.

They strained to lift the bed; rather than trying to jimmy it over the protruding air vent in the floor. Once they were over it they steadily lowered it back down, successfully doing it silently and without incident.

Stiles straightened himself out, hearing a plethora of cracking in his back and shoulders as he did so. Erica scrunched up her face in disgust. “How old _are_ you? Ninety? Jesus.” He stuck his tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes. “Nope. Sorry. Forgot you’re actually five years old.”

Stiles smiled widely at her, and she supressed a smile of her own. “Thanks for helping me move my bed!” He sang and tackled her with a hug. She giggled as she tried to push him off.

“It was my pleasure. Boyd would’ve been here too, but y’know,” she shrugged. When she first arrived she told Stiles about the phone call Boyd got right before they were supposed to head over to Stiles. His mother apparently needed him over at her house right away; though he didn’t explain why.

“It’s cool. Gave us time to catch up.” He smiled and she stopped struggling to break free, instead returning the hug with a tight squeeze.

“Yeah.” She smiled. When they broke out of their hug they made their way into the cluttered living room. They plopped down on the couch and kicked their feet up on a couple of boxes they pretended was a coffee table. When they were settled comfortably Erica turned to him, a conflicted twist to her lips. “There’s something I haven’t told you.”

Stiles frowned. “Okay…?” She sounded serious and that worried him.

She took a deep breath and grabbed a hold of his hand, grasping it with trembling fingers. “I’m pregnant,” she finally said, and then, “and it’s yours.” Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Ah yes, I remember the night I pollinated you with the seedling of my love juice.” There had been no such night. Considering the fact that one, Stiles was gay, two, Erica had been with Boyd since high school – so nearly six years now – and three, Stiles’ dick wasn’t _ever_ going near Erica. Not ever. She was like the annoying sister he’d never had, and he loved her. But only to that extent.

She laughed and then sighed. “Love juice is such an elegant way of putting it, though I don’t think Boyd is going to respond the same way.” Stiles exhaled a laugh once before looking over at Erica with a confused expression that she apparently found irresistibly pinchable because she reached out and grabbed his cheek in between he fingers.

“Wait, wait, _wait_.” He said and pulled away out of her reach. “You’re serious?” He asked, and he looked at her stomach, like somehow he’d gain the ability to see through her clothing and flesh to the supposed baby growing there.

She chuckled and sat back in the couch, curling her feet up under her and resting her chin against her hand. “I just found out this morning.” She looked so happy, Stiles couldn’t help but let the waves of excitement and happiness for his best friend crash over him.

“Holy shit! Holy _shit_!” And he sank into the couch too as he processed this. “You’re _pregnant_.” He said, trying the words out for himself. He smiled wider. “That’s fucking spectacular!” He shouted and immediately regretted it. He had to remember his downstairs neighbour was a grumpy, sexy, broody, sexy, irritable, sexy, serial killing, sexy guy who needed complete silence to sleep.

Being quiet was going to be hard; especially for a guy like Stiles.

“I thought I might be, considering I haven’t had my period for almost two months. But I just peed on the stick this morning, and voila. I’m pregnant. And I haven’t told Boyd yet. Actually, I haven’t told anyone yet. Just you.” She looked a bit guilty about that, but Stiles felt a jolt of affection knowing he was the first person she’d trusted with the news.

“Thanks. I mean, for telling me.” He paused, and again was overcome with excitement at the news. He smiled and after a moment she smiled too, and the both of them fell into a fit of excited giggles.

Once they caught their breath, Erica sighed. “I’m gonna tell him when he gets home tonight.” She decided, nodding to herself.

“Why didn’t you tell him when you first found out?” Erica and Boyd were like, the best couple ever. Anyone who saw them together aspired to become them some day. Their love was undeniable; they respected each other, and with that were always honest and sympathetic towards one another. Erica told Boyd everything – even the sort of stuff she wouldn’t even talk to Stiles about. They were basically the real life version of Lily and Marshal from How I Met Your Mother.

Erica shrugged. She was idly picking at a loose thread on her shirt, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. “He was weird this morning, and after his mom called he basically shut me out.” She pursed her lips, looking up at Stiles with big, worried eyes. “If something goes wrong… I mean… we’re not married yet, and I know he wanted to wait a couple more years at least before we, y’know…” she trailed off.

“Started copulating? Tried for a baby instead of just WooHooing? Put a bun in the oven? Fertilized your petunias? Mixed his tadpole with your ovum? Made a hotdog out of his sausage and your buns?” He wanted to make her laugh again, remind her that this was something to be happy about; not something to dread or regret. She rolled her eyes, but at least she’d started smiling.

“You’re an idiot.” She stated, and he couldn’t argue. She tapped her fingers anxiously against the arm of the couch, and he reached over to place his hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Boyd loves you. Boyd is going to love you even when – even _more_ – when you look like you’ve swallowed a planet, because what you guys have has created more than a happily ever after just for the two of you. It’s gonna be the three of you, and then the four, and the five, and the six – honestly, you’re going to have all the babies and you’ll love each other, always. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your best friend. I’ve seen the two of you together, and though the level of your PDA nauseates me, I know for a fact that you and he were universally made to be together.” Stiles finished, and he heard Erica sniffle.

She waved a hand to generate a cool wave of air against her face. Her eyes were a little teary, and her lower lip trembled slightly. “Hormones.” She explained, and Stiles smirked.

They spent the rest of the morning in front of Stiles’ computer, searching for baby names (Stiles suggested she named the kid after him – Genim or Stiles, either one would do – and she punched him in the arm, which he was pretty certain bruised instantly) and afterwards Stiles treated her to breakfast at Benny’s; a local breakfast restaurant that had killer fries and eggs soaked in bacon juices.

When he dropped her back off at her place – making her promise to text him and let him know how it went with Boyd – he dropped by the museum he worked at to drop off some paperwork, and he headed back to his apartment. While in the elevator his eyes hovered over the seventh floor button, thinking back to the morning and all that had happened.

Ultimately he ended up back in his apartment, staring down at the floor and wondering when he’d get to see Derek next. Even if he was potentially a serial killer, he hoped he’d run into him soon.


	3. Chapter 3

It had almost been two months – yes, _two_ _months_ – since Derek had shown up at Stiles’ door, and Stiles still hadn’t really said more than two words to him. They’d pass each other occasionally, on the way to get mail or something like that, but that was it. Nothing substantial like a tea date or coffee date or crazy animal sex in the elevator. And every time they _did_ see each other, Derek was always frowning.

Stiles tried not to pout about it, but according to Erica that’s all he ever did. He knew he could just go down there and knock on Derek’s door, come up with some lame, clichéd excuse for it like needing sugar or something. But he just couldn’t do it.

Which is why Erica saw it fit to give him the extra little push that he needed.

Before Stiles could stop her she’d already punched the seventh floor button in the elevator, and it jerked to life, slowly raising them to Derek’s floor.

“Uh, you pressed the wrong button you know.” He reached out to press the button that clearly read, ‘ _8_ ’, but she slapped his hand away. At first he didn’t understand what was going on, but then it clicked. “No. Nonono _nonono_.” He tried to press the emergency button but she was quicker than him, restraining both of his hands in her iron grip.

“I’m tired of hearing about how hopeless you are, okay? Just knock on his door. See if he wants to hang out.” He struggled against her hold on him but she held on tighter, making him whimper as a dull pain began to ache in his wrists.

“I don’t really think he’s the kind of guy who wants to hang out with his annoying upstairs neighbour who flails around and more than occasionally breaks things.” No, Stiles was sure Derek was not the type of guy for that sort of thing. He was much too busy being mysterious and broody for it; obviously he hated Stiles, and all guys similar to Stiles, so Stiles should really just stick to his unrequited love and leave it at that.

Erica rolled her eyes. “You don’t know what kind of guy he is! You’ve never talked to him before!” She said, exasperated. “You’re going up there and you’re fucking talking to him!”

Stiles huffed out an agitated breath. He gave Erica his most pleading look. “I will, okay? I will. Just not today. I’m a mess. I didn’t even put on a clean shirt, okay? Laundry day tomorrow, and then Derek day the day after that, deal?” He asked, and she took a long, long moment to contemplate his compromise. It wasn’t until they stopped on the seventh floor, the doors opening to reveal an empty hallway, that she finally sighed and clicked the correct button.

“Fine. But if you don’t I swear to god I’ll get Boyd to throw you out of your own window.” She threatened, and he let out a breath of relief.

When he did knock on Derek’s door on Derek day there was no answer. He returned to his apartment feeling strangely relieved, and with a clear conscience told Erica the truth – that he’d knocked and that no one was there.

He heard her sigh over the phone, but she left it at that. Then she told Stiles she needed to go, because Boyd just got home and she wanted to get laid. He told her she was gross, and that the baby probably wouldn’t appreciate having its father screwing its mother while it was in the same hole, but he could practically hear her rolling her eyes as she told Stiles goodbye.

◦⌠●⌡◦

“Shit. Shit, shit, _shit_.” Derek was running late. He wasn’t going to make it to the church in time and Laura was going to kill him. It was her _wedding_ after all, and he was one of the groomsmen (partly because Mark – Laura’s soon to be husband, the poor guy – liked Derek, but mostly because he was afraid of him, which was good. Derek liked it better that way).

He’d had to work last night, but his foreman let him off earlier than usual – five o’clock A.M. instead of eight – so he’d gotten a few hours of sleep, but he was still pretty out of it by the time ten rolled around. He was supposed to have met Mark and the rest of the groom’s party at the best man’s house, but that was supposed to have happened at nine.

Cora called him, sounding worried and panicked, but just grew annoyed when she found out he’d managed to sleep in on the day his sister was getting married. “Are you gonna sleep through _my_ wedding Derek?” She’d asked and Derek scoffed.

“You’re not getting married. Unless it’s to Shantal. I like Shantal.” He was trying to adjust his bowtie and simultaneously tie his shoes.

“Derek, for the last time, _I am not a lesbian_. I like penis. You like penis. We all like penis. Get over it.” He sighed, checking his watch to see that he only had an hour to get to the church.

“Just because I like penis doesn’t mean that you have to.” He said and then paused. “No more talk about penis please.” He knew how guys were, and he could subject himself to their bullshit, but his baby sister shouldn’t have to be tormented by them and their dick-thinking.

Cora clicked her tongue and he heard voices in the background getting louder. “Alright, I have to go. We’re all piling into the limousine with Laura.” Then she lowered her voice, “thank god I don’t have to sit beside Kate. She _reeks_ of booze already, and it’s not even noon yet.”

Derek’s face scrunched up in distaste. “Good luck.” He said. He knew how Kate could be – she’d been friends with Laura since high school, and even though she was five years older than Derek she still made a pass at him every now and again; mostly just objectifying his body and making him feel like he needed a shower by the end of whatever interaction they had.

He was never really sure why Laura was friends with her, and the only time he’d asked his sister about it she’d replied with: “ _Genuine people are hard to find_.” Sure Kate was pretty genuine in her own bitchy way, she definitely didn’t hold back any thoughts or feelings she had about things; most of which were just cruel and unsavory. But it wasn’t Derek’s place to choose Laura’s friends, so he let it be.

He was out the door and in the elevator when his phone rang again, though this time it was just a text from Laura.

**_Laura:_ **

**Did you remember to grab dad’s tie?**

**_Laura:_ **

**He says you’re the one who had it last.**

**_Laura:_ **

**Please tell me you have his tie.**

Derek made an _ugh_ sound, and quickly redirected the elevator so he could go back and grab his father’s dark blue tie, which Derek _did_ have, and was supposed to remember to bring. He make quick work of getting back into his apartment, snatching the tie off the back on the dining room chair, and pressing the button to wait for the elevator.

He’d just about decided to take the stairs when the elevator dinged and the doors released. Standing there in the elevator, his eyes cast downwards and his hand in his pockets, was Stiles. Derek hesitated only a moment before deciding an awkward elevator ride was better than running down seven flights of stairs.

As soon as the elevator doors closed Stiles looked up and caught Derek’s cautious gaze. Almost instantly the guy’s entire face lit up.

“Hey! It’s you!” He remarked, and the elevator lurched into motion. Derek smiled as politely as he could while avoiding any more eye contact. “Haven’t seen you around much, how’ve you been?”

Derek watched at the number six over the elevator doors dimly lit up, signalling that they’d only passed one floor so far. This was going to be an extremely long elevator ride.

Derek pursed his lips. “Fine.” His phone suddenly burst to life again, giving him reprieve from the growing silence of the elevator at his short reply. He answered the call and immediately regretted everything.

“Derek. The tie. Do you have it?” Laura sounded like she was about to burst a blood vessel.

“Yes.” He answered, but she didn’t hear him. “Yeah! Yes, I do. I have the tie.” He looked down at it in his hand. “I don’t understand why he needs _this_ one specifically, but whatever. I have it.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon.” And then she hung up. Derek wasn’t going to hold it against her; it was her wedding day and she was allowed to freak out. After months and months of planning for the impossible _perfect_ day ever she was entitled to a meltdown.

Just as Derek looked back up to see the third floor number faintly glowing, everything just seemed to… stop. He looked over at Stiles, who was frowning with confusion also. The lights flickered, and there was a metallic sound that seemed to shake the entire elevator.

And they _were_ stopped. Completely still; no longer on a downwards descent to the lobby where Derek needed to get to over an hour ago.

“What. The. _Fuck_.” He ground out, reaching over passed Stiles to the panel of buttons. He clicked the one marked ‘ _L_ ’ several times before realizing it wasn’t responding. He tried all the other buttons, all of the equally as unresponsive as the first.

“I think we might be stuck.” Stiles said, and oh, what a marvelous deduction. Derek fixed him with a hard glare.

“You don’t say?” He asked, letting his frustration overwhelm him more than he should’ve. He was already late, and his dad needed that stupid fucking tie, or apparently the whole wedding was going to fall apart.

Stiles looked a little hurt by the hostility but quickly shrugged it off. He reached over and pressed the ‘ _emergency_ ’ button, reserved for times like these. There was a loud ringing noise that followed, making Derek’s head pound. Stiles recoiled as soon as the noise started and began pressing the button again spastically, trying to get it to stop.

Finally it did, and all they were left with was silence and stillness.

“Fuck me.” Stiles said, and Derek was inclined to agree. It was a pretty shitty situation.

Suddenly there was a static noise, and then it cleared, replaced by an overhead voice that boomed through some intercom in the elevator. “Alright, you boys just remain calm. There seems to be some sort of technical difficulty with the elevator, but we should be able to get it back up and running in no time.”

Derek groaned. “Define, _in no time_.” He looked up at the ceiling, waiting for a response. “Hello?” He asked, but there was still no answer.

Finally, just as Derek’s hands were curling into tight fists of fury, “It may be an hour before the fire department gets here to pry open the doors.” Derek stared at the ceiling, his eye almost twitching from the anger he could feeling boiling up inside of him.

“An _hour_?” He asked through gritted teeth. The static of the intercom faded, which Derek assumed meant that whoever had been speaking to them was no longer there. “This is just fucking perfect.” Laura was going to kill him, and then Cora was going to kill him, and then his mother was going to give him her most disappointed look that made his skin turn inside out.

“I’m sure they’ll get us outta here in no time,” Stiles said, his smile and tone a little too optimistic. Derek rolled his eyes and slumped against the wall of the elevator.

Not only was he late for his sister’s wedding, he was now stuck in an elevator with one of the loudest, most obnoxious guys Derek had ever met. After the first day they’d met when Derek had all but stormed Stiles’ apartment in nothing but his pajama pants, Stiles still made more noise than Derek thought humanly possible.

“You look really nice,” Stiles’ voice was a little shaky, “Are you a super spy or something?” Derek slowly looked down from the ceiling to fix Stiles with his most quizzical look, because how could he still be talking? “Y’know, like James Bond?”

Derek shook his head, half in answer and half in bewilderment that a guy with a name like _Stiles_ was trying to be sociable. “No.” He hoped that would be the end of it but Stiles was persistent if nothing else.

“Okay, are you a waiter?” Stiles asked, holding out his hand and waving it around a little. Derek wasn’t entirely certain Stiles spoke the same language as everyone else, which made sense considering he didn’t understand how much Derek did not want to interact with him. “A valet?”

“Stiles,” Derek sighed, his patience already gone, “Shut up.”

“Shutting up now,” Stiles nodded, pursing his lips and blushing.

Derek closed his eyes and leaned his head up against the wall, praying to whatever gods or goddesses were listening that the elevator be fixed in the next thirty seconds. Unfortunately, and as Derek already knew, no one was listening but gods and goddesses didn’t care about Derek. Not even a little bit.

Which was why, when thirty seconds turned into thirty _minutes_ Derek didn’t have to worry about being disappointed by unmet expectations. He knew he was fucked, and it was only going to get worse from here on out.


	4. Chapter 4

“What are the chances we’re going to plummet to our death?” Stiles asked, and he knew Derek would probably prefer death over spending so much time trapped in an elevator with Stiles, but he didn’t know how not to talk. He got bored easily, and then his ADHD kicked in, and then he provided Derek with further incentive to hate him for all eternity.

Stiles hadn’t been on a date for a while now, but he was pretty sure he was _nailing_ it.

“If we’re lucky we’ll die.” Derek replied, and he was staring at his phone, which was ringing _again_. They’d been stuck on the elevator now for nearly an hour, and like clockwork Derek’s phone had rang on two minute intervals. Stiles wondered why Derek didn’t just pick up, but the fear and worry in Derek’s eyes was a clear sign Stiles shouldn’t ask about it.

“I always imagined I’d die throwing myself in front of a car to save a cat or something.” Stiles said, trying to distract Derek from whatever was giving him anxiety. Derek’s face just pinched up more and Stiles sighed.

They sat in silence – well, relative silence, since the phone wouldn’t stop ringing – for another ten minutes.

Finally, after the billionth time his phone went off, Derek’s jaw tensed and his thumb shakily accepted the call. He put the phone up to his ear, and he looked like he was holding his breath. “Hey mom.”

Stiles stifled a laugh. Of course it was Derek’s mom. Stiles didn’t know if there was anyone in the entire world that could instill so much fear in a guy like Derek, other than the woman who gave birth to him.

Derek shot him a dark look, no doubt annoyed by the sound of Stiles’ strangled laugh. “I know. I know I’m supposed to be there but-,” Derek’s voice cut off as soon as the muffled voice on the phone started up. Stiles couldn’t make out anything Derek’s mom was saying, but by the pained expression on Derek’s face it couldn’t be good. “I’m… stuck. No, not in traffic. In an elevator.”

It was so ridiculous; the situation was ridiculous.

This is what Stiles got for wishing he had more time to get to know Derek. God had a really sick sense of humour.

“I’m okay. Yes! I’m fine! The elevator technician said the fire department should be here soon to pry open the doors-,” Derek got really silent for a moment, and Stiles could visibly see the colour draining from Derek’s face. “ _What_? What do you _mean_ there’s a building on _fire_ just down the street from the chapel?”

“It probably means that there’s a building on fire just down the street from the chapel.” Stiles repeated, receiving another heated glare from Derek.

“I guess you’ll just have to start without me then. Just tell Laura I love her and that I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thank you. I love you too.” He slammed his phone shut and sank to the floor where Stiles had already seated himself about half an hour ago.

“So I guess this means we’ll be in here for a while.” Stiles said, and was expecting Derek to lash out at him again. Surprisingly when Derek turned to look at him he wasn’t glaring, glowering, or scowling. He just looked tired.

Derek sighed, sinking even lower to the ground. “If my mom’s right we’ll be in here until the elevator either gets fixed or until they put out the fire and have enough spare manpower to come get us out of here. Which could take hours.”

“Awesome.” Stiles sighed, hitting his head back up against the wall a few times; an attempt to distract himself with pain from his current awkward situation. “So, the chapel?”

Derek took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before answering. “My sister’s getting married in,” he checked his phone, “twenty minutes. And I’m stuck in here.” The, _with you_ , was sort of an implied disappointment that Stiles picked up on the moment Derek’s eyes flickered towards him.

“Dude, that really sucks.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cellphone. “It also reminds me that I also was supposed to be somewhere at eleven.” He started dialling in Erica’s number, hoping she hadn’t left the house yet. Derek ignored him entirely, closing his eyes and seeming to doze off.

“Stiles? Where are you? Are you at the restaurant? I am not at the restaurant.” She sounded a little stressed, which definitely wasn’t a good thing. “Boyd just got a call from his mom. Apparently her apartment building is on fire.”

Stiles almost choked on his own intake of breath. “Seriously?” He squeaked out, and looked over at Derek to see that the other man had definitely fallen asleep, which was a relief. At least he hadn’t heard that terrible voice crack. “That fire is the reason I am stuck in an elevator,” he lowered his voice then, hoping Derek was really asleep and not just faking, “with _Derek_.”

There was a loud sound on the other end of the line that sounded a lot like the dropping and fumbling for a phone. “ _Seriously_?” Erica asked, sounding completely surprised. “ _Dude_. Have you banged him yet?”

Stiles choked again, this time bursting into a fit of coughing, which managed to wake Derek up. He jolted awake, his eyes a little red and bleary. “Sorry.” Stiles apologized in between gasping for breath. Derek’s murderous face returned, but he didn’t say anything, just closed his eyes again. “No. Definitely not.”

“Why not? Boyd’s mom is going to be staying with us for the next few weeks or whatever until her apartment gets cleaned, if it’s even still there at the end of all of this. That means Boyd and I won’t be able to have sex unless she’s out at Bingo. And you know how I get when I don’t get my sex Stiles. I need to live vicariously through you or I’m going to murder Boyd’s mother, the future grandmother to my child.” Erica was using her future child a lot lately as a bargaining chip with him because she knew how excited he was to be an Uncle.

“You know my bed’s always free,” Stiles said, and then immediately regretted everything. Derek’s eyebrow raised in question, even though his eyes were still closed.

“You better be saying that to him and not me Stiles.” Erica said, and he could hear the smirk in her voice.

“And here I was hoping you were saying it to her,” Derek muttered and Stiles felt his heart stutter. Derek smirked then, and Stiles was _really_ sure his heart was about to leap out of his throat. Because Derek _smiling_ was fucking _gorgeous_. And it wasn’t fair.

“Uhh… so you heard that, huh?” Stiles asked, and Derek peeked one eye open.

“You and… Erica? You share a lot of similar qualities – one being that you’re both extremely _loud_.” Derek adjusted, getting more comfortably seated. “Maybe you should think about turning down the volume on her or your phone. After, of course, you bang me.” Now Derek was really smirking; pleased with himself to be amused by something.

“Heard that too. Wonderful.” Stiles wanted to die. He actually wanted to die. If the elevator broke and sent them plummeting to their deaths he would be more than content.

“Heard what?” Erica asked, and Stiles sighed. He moved the phone away from his ear and pressed the speaker button. “Is the elevator making sounds? Are you dying right now? You’re not allowed to die Stiles, you have to raise my child for me.”

“Nope. He heard everything you said before. And now you’re on speaker.” Stiles answered, and then realized maybe having Erica on speaker wasn’t the greatest idea he’s ever had. Because, sure, she’d said some embarrassing things, but now she’d be doing it on purpose.

“I’m on speaker? Good. Let’s have a chat then Derek.” Her voice rang clearly throughout the elevator, and now Stiles was beginning to understand what Derek had said about the two of them being loud. “Are you a serial killer?”

“Already regretting this.” Stiles face palmed, but at least Derek was chuckling.

“No, I’m not a serial killer. I promise.” He answered, and he didn’t sound peeved at all, which was new. Stiles set his phone down on the floor in between them.

“Good. Are you single?” She asked, and again, Stiles felt the need to reiterate the fact that he was definitely regretting this.

“Considering the fact that I sleep all day and work all night, I think it’s safe to say I’m single.” Derek replied, sitting up a little more and leaning towards the phone, eyeing it with interest. “Do I get to interrogate you now?”

Stiles could feel his head tilting with curiosity, but he tried not to look too intrigued by the mystery that was Derek. One moment he’s grouchy and prickly, the next playful and taunting.

“I’m not done with you yet,” Erica continued, “How do you identify?” Stiles made a strangled sound.

“Erica! You can’t just ask people that! That’s private!” Stiles protested, but was completely ignored by both parties.

“I’m an equal opportunist. You?” He asked, and though it wasn’t clear who he was directing the question at, Stiles was pretty sure he saw Derek’s eyes flicker in his direction.

“Straight and engaged, with a kid on the way.” There was a slight pause from Erica, like she was taking a moment to contemplate something. “But Stiles is single and gay all the way, so why don’t I say goodbye and let the two of you get to know each other a little better. Oh, wait.” She paused again, and Derek looked over at Stiles for the first time since they entered the elevator basically. “Is there a cam on the elevator? Because I’d pay a lot of money for a copy of the sex ta-,” Erica was saying but Stiles reacted, scooping up his phone and slamming his finger down on the end button.

The elevator was eerily silent for a long moment. Stiles refused to look up from his phone, which was in his lap, so he didn’t know if Derek was still staring at him or not. “Sorry about Erica… she can be a bit…”

“It’s okay. My friend Lydia’s pretty much the same.” Derek said, and Stiles looked up to see that Derek _was_ still looking at him. “Look,” Derek started, looking down at his hands, “I think we got off on the wrong foot. I mean, you’re still really fucking loud when I’m trying to sleep, and sometimes I want to strangle you because of that, but you don’t seem like a terrible guy.”

It was kind of a compliment and Stiles was going to take what he could get. “Thanks man, you too. I mean, about the whole you not being terrible thing. I don’t really think about killing you.” No, Stiles thought more along the lines of chaining Derek to his bed and doing kinky, sexy things to him.

Derek chuckled, nodding a little. “Yeah, well, you’ve never lived under me before, so.” Stiles hadn’t ever lived under Derek, but he definitely wouldn’t complain _being_ under him.

Stiles chuckled nervously, worried that his thoughts were being displayed across his face like an open book. “True. And I’m sorry I’m so loud. I’m sorta clumsy… so I tend to walk into things a lot. Which is why you hear a lot of banging.”

Derek smirked. “And here I thought you were just having crazy animal sex.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Anyways, since there’s nothing I can really do about being stuck in this elevator with you, I’m gonna try and get some sleep. Wake me if we start falling to our deaths.”


	5. Chapter 5

“What time is it?” Derek asked, wiping at his eyes to clear them of some grogginess. Stiles looked at his wrist and visibly deflated.

“It’s one o’clock. And we haven’t heard anything. The dude from the intercom hasn’t even said anything more about the firemen, or when he thinks we’ll be able to get out of here.” Stiles tossed his phone onto the ground, looking completely defeated.

Derek felt sort of bad for being such a dick before, but the stress of being late for his sister’s wedding added to the fact he hadn’t slept well for the two hours he’d had didn’t do wonders for his personality. He reached over and patted Stiles’ knee, hoping it came across as consoling rather than condescending.

“Relax. It’s not like we’re going to run out of air or anything.” Even as he was saying it he realized how hungry he was, and was starting to suspect that the coffee he’d chugged before leaving his apartment was probably going to come back to haunt him soon.

“I’m starving. And I have to pee.” Stiles said, mirroring Derek’s thoughts. “I don’t want to die in here Derek. I have too much to live for.”

Derek rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “We’ve only been in here a few hours.” He pulled out his phone to see he had two missed calls from Laura, and another from his mother. There were three voicemails and several texts that he didn’t have the energy to look at. “I’m gonna call my mom and see how the ceremony went.”

“Good idea. And then regale me with the story. My ADHD is driving me insane right now.” Stiles sighed, and that explained why Stiles’ fingers were tapping incessantly against his knee. It actually explained _a lot_ about Stiles.

Derek dialled up his mother and tried not to wince when the first words that came out of her mouth were, “You missed it.”

“I know.” He said, and already the apologies were starting, and they would never stop. Because he’d never live this down. Ever.

“No, I’m not talking about your sister’s wedding, you haven’t missed anything.” Before Derek could ask, _what the hell_ , his mother continued. “The firemen managed to put out the fire before the whole building collapsed, which it almost did.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Back up for a second. Why didn’t I miss anything?” Did Laura call the wedding off? Did Mark?

“Don’t worry about that, we’ll see you soon sweetie.” And then she hung up, without even saying goodbye or explaining anything more. Stiles looked at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation as well.

“Apparently my sister hasn’t gotten married yet.” Derek said, and even saying it for himself out loud it still didn’t quite make sense. “Also, the fire was put out so the fire department should be here soon to get us out of here.”

“Awesome! That’s great!” Stiles exclaimed, clapping his hands together and recoiling at the sound of it. “Right. Sorry. Loud noises, not good.” He pulled his arms down to his sides, and Derek was pretty sure Stiles would sit on his hands if he asked him to.

“It’s fine. I think I’m getting used to it.” Derek smiled, and Stiles smiled easily back.

“Look at us,” Stiles started, nudging Derek’s foot with his own, “I read somewhere that traumatic experiences really bring people together.”

Derek scoffed. “Yeah, only if they survive them.”

“Which we will! Because the firemen are on their way to rescue us from starving to death in an elevator.” Stiles cheered and Derek rolled his eyes.

“We were never going to starve to death Stiles.” The guy was ridiculous, but for some reason his enthusiasm was endearing.

Stiles gave Derek a serious look. “I don’t know about you but if I even go three hours with eating I actually die. I require mouth to mouth resuscitation and everything.” Derek raised an eyebrow at Stiles.

“Is this turning into a porno? Because I feel like this might be turning into a porno.” Derek teased and Stiles laughed, almost choking before catching his breath. What a dork.

“Erica wishes.” He winked, and Derek could feel himself starting to actually _like_ Stiles, which didn’t make any sense at all. “Just imagine having sex to the soundtrack of elevator music.” Luckily there wasn’t any elevator music playing; their apartment building was too cheap for that. But Derek decided to humour the kid.

“Elevator music, a hidden camera, and a guy who probably moans just as loud as he talks. This really is a porno.” Derek chuckled and Stiles just winked.

“Accurate.” Stiles agreed, and some part of Derek wondered if Stiles really was as loud in bed as he was out of it. But Derek wouldn’t make a move; mostly because of the fact that Derek sucked at relationships, but partly because Stiles seemed like a really good guy. Rory Pond good, even.

“Anyways,” Derek started, clearing his throat and removing his hand from Stiles’ foot, where it had somehow managed to find itself. “I guess we should prepare to be rescued.”

“Ah yes, mentally prepare ourselves to rejoin the outside world again and rehabilitate back into society.” Stiles agreed, nodding sagely. Derek smirked, shaking his head at how ridiculous Stiles was.

At least now Derek didn’t have to hate Stiles; maybe they could even be friends.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is a short panic attack in this scene :(

“Okay, it’s been half an hour and we haven’t been rescued. What the actual fuck?” Stiles asked, throwing his arms up in frustration. He scrubbed his hands through his hair, no longer caring about how he looked in front of Derek.

He had to pee and he had to eat and the walls were starting to change colours.

“They’ll be here soon… I hope.” Derek grumbled, and he stood up too to shake out his legs. “I tried to call my mom and sister but neither of them will pick up.”

“It’s because they don’t know how to say goodbye Derek. They know you’re gonna die in here and they just can’t do it.” Stiles knew he was being overdramatic, but overdramatic is what he did. “I have an idea.” He looked up at the ceiling and saw the opening to the service shaft. “I need you to boost me.”

Derek raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. “I don’t think so. Just be patient. They’ll be here soon enough. It takes half an hour to get everything organized for this sort of thing, especially so soon after a fire.”

“Alright, alright,” Stiles said, and just as he started to calm himself down there was an ear-splitting metallic sound that shook the entire elevator. “Not alright! No! Shitshitshit!” Stiles cursed, wanting to roll into a little armadillo ball. He could feel his chest tightening, signalling an oncoming panic attack, which only made the feeling grow worse.

He struggled to breathe, but Derek’s hands were on him, gently soothing. “Relax Stiles. It’s going to be okay.” Derek was trying but Stiles couldn’t hear anything passed the droning ringing in his ears. “Stiles? Stiles!”

His head felt heavy and his stomach twisted.

Suddenly Derek leaned forward, pressing his lips against Stiles’. He closed his eyes and reached up, cupping Derek’s cheek with one hand and tangling his fingers in Derek’s hair with the other. The kiss deepened and Stiles began to feel less and less like he was about to lose himself.

When they finally pulled away from each other they were both breathing heavily, their faces still barely inches away from one another. “My friend Lydia told me that holding your breath can stop… a panic attack. Are you okay?” Derek asked, and Stiles leaned forward, resting his forehead against Derek’s and closing his eyes to steady his breathing and heartbeat.

“Yeah. Yeah, thanks.” Stiles said, his voice still shaky and low.

Suddenly there was another sound – someone clearing their throat. Stiles turned, leaning away from Derek to see that the elevator doors were now open, and standing there in the hallway were two firemen and a group of people Stiles didn’t recognize.

One of them – a woman dressed in an elegant, beautiful white ball gown – stepped forward and crossed her arms.

“It’s so like you to miss my wedding to shack up in some elevator, Derek.” She said, her lips quirking into a teasing smile. Next to her stood a man dressed in a reverend’s uniform, and he was holding a bible. “Here I am, bringing my wedding to you, and you’re already getting a head start on your honeymoon. Typical.”

“Laura!” Derek breathed, and the two of them stepped towards each other, pulling one another into a hug. “I’m so sorry I missed the ceremony.”

Laura pulled away from the hug to give her brother a look – one similar to the one Derek gave to Stiles when Derek thought he was being an idiot.

“You didn’t miss anything. Didn’t you listen to anything I just said? I brought the wedding to you, asshat. Now let’s do this thing!” Everyone in the corridor cheered and made way for the bride and her brother, and her soon-to-be husband after them. Stiles watched them go, and was about to turn towards the staircase when suddenly someone was linking her arm through his and pulling him in the direction of the others.

“And where do you think you’re going?” An older, refined woman asked. She looked elegant, just like the bride, which could only mean one thing. Derek’s mom.

“I was just-,” He tried but she dragged him to the front of the crowd, standing him right behind Derek, who was at the front of the line. There were only so many people you could stuff into an apartment hallway, but they managed.

Derek looked over his shoulder and smirked at Stiles, reaching behind to link his fingers through Stiles’ and give his hand a tight squeeze. “Sorry about my mom… she can be a little…”

“Don’t worry,” Stiles smiled, “I have a friend named Erica who’s just like her.” He winked and Derek chuckled, and then the ceremony began.

It was a little awkward at first, but it wasn’t a super long, preachy ceremony. They said their, “I do’s,” and that was that. The entire crowd started piling into the stairwell to make their way down to the first floor and out of the building. Stiles lost Derek in that crowd somewhere, and once he made it to the stair case he wasn’t sure whether to go down with the rest of them or back up to his apartment.

With a sigh, and feeling a little too awkward, Stiles slipped away up the stairs, climbing them all the way to his floor.

He never imagined spending a day like that with Derek, and there was still so little he knew about the guy. But it was nice.

He smiled to himself as he fumbled for his keys to unlock his door. Just as he was sticking the key in though, someone’s hand slid over his own and ruined any attempt Stiles might’ve made in trying not to drop his keys.

“Wow, you really are clumsy.” Derek said, and Stiles felt his stomach turn in on itself.

He turned to face Derek, backing up until he was leaning against his door. “Shouldn’t you be heading over to the Reception? Or is it called a Hall? I don’t know, I guess it just depends right?” Stiles asked, and he didn’t know why he was still talking.

Derek’s lips pulled up into a half smile. “Yeah,” He answered, resting a hand against Stiles’ head on the door, “I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye though. And considering I’ll probably be sleeping all day tomorrow again, I don’t know when I’ll get to see you next.”

“Two months from now probably, that’s usually how it goes for us.” Stiles said, but the words were creating themselves because he held no control over his mouth right now. The closer Derek leaned the more all Stiles’ lips cared about was getting another taste of him.

“What if I can’t wait two months?” Derek asked, and Stiles shrugged. Derek reached up, gently placing his hand under Stiles’ chin, drawing him in for a deep, chaste kiss that had Stiles forgetting how to breathe.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Stiles asked, his voice still shaking. Derek kissed him once more, dragging his lips down along Stiles’ jaw to his neck where he delivered one final kiss.

“It’s a date. Wake me up in the morning.” Derek said. Stiles smirked.

“Don’t I always?” He asked, and before Derek could stop himself from leaving, he did, leaving Stiles alone in the hallway where he proceeded to have a miniature heart attack before opening his apartment door and flinging himself inside to proceed with his freaking out.

The first thing he did was call Erica.


	7. Epilogue

“This. Is. All. _Your. Fault_.” Erica bit off each word, progressively sounding louder and angrier. Her death grip on Stiles’ hand only grew more crushing; he could barely feel his hand anymore beyond the numbness.

“How is this my fault?” Stiles squeaked. Erica let out a low groan, fixing Stiles with a glare that had him fearing for his life.

“Why did you ever let me do this?” She groaned again, this time in pain rather than frustration. Stiles winced at the pain shooting through his hand. “Ohfuck. Ohfuck. _Ohfuck_.” She cried, and Stiles wished he could do something to help. The doctor – Melissa McCall – was in the next room delivering twins and Stiles didn’t know how long that would take. According to the nurse Erica was seven centimeters dilated – _whatever that meant_ – so she couldn’t start pushing yet.

“Nurse?” Stiles shouted, hoping it was time so Erica could pop this baby out already. The nurse who had been checking in on them walked into the room, heading directly for Erica’s nether regions. “Is it time?”

She shook her head and Stiles’ heart dropped. “She’s almost there; just two more centimeters and I’ll get the doctor to come in.” She left again, leaving Stiles to suffer Erica’s misplaced wrath alone.

“Where is he?” She growled, baring her teeth a little. Stiles looked at his watch; it was quarter after seven and Boyd still hadn’t shown up yet. He was supposed to be the one having his hand pulverized right now, not Stiles. Stiles was supposed to be on a date. With Derek.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Boyd’s number. As soon as he picked up Stiles could hear sirens and loud chatter in the background. “I’m here. I’m on my way to the room right now. How is she? Is she okay? Is she in a lot of pain? Have they given her the Epidural? Did she have the baby?” Boyd asked question after question, further flustering Stiles.

“Uhh… she’s okay? She’s killing my hand, and she’s in a bit of pain.” Erica scrunched up her face, mouthing, _a bit_ , and her grip on Stiles’ hand intensified as another wave of pain hit her. “On the bright side I can probably live without full functionality of my left hand. Which I’m pretty sure I’m about to lose.”

“Has she had the baby?” Boyd yelled into the phone, making Stiles cringe away from the loud burst of noise into his ear.

“No!” He yelled back, and then suddenly Boyd burst through the doorway and rushed to Erica’s side. She immediately released Stiles and grabbed hold of Boyd’s hand instead. “Oh thank god!” Stiles held his hand close to him, cradling it to his chest.

“Baby,” Boyd leaned down, kissing her gently on the forehead, “I’m so sorry I’m late. I was in a meeting and then the back road was shut down for construction and the traffic was ridiculous.” Erica managed a small smile before wincing at the pain.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just get Melissa in here,” Erica said, and she took a deep breath. “We’re about to make a baby.”

“Technically you already made the baby, approximately nine months ago,” Stiles pointed out and suddenly Boyd was ushering him out of the room.

“Thanks for staying with her man, but I think I can handle it from here.” Boyd paused, smirking slyly. “Besides, on my way in I thought I saw tall, dark, and surly pacing around the waiting room.” Stiles patted Boyd on the shoulder, wishing him good luck and telling him to come get him as soon as he was allowed to come back in.

He made his way back to the waiting room after that, immediately spotting Derek sitting in one of the corner chairs. He walked up to him and hovered there, waiting for Derek to look up at him.

“How’s she doing?” Derek asked, motioning for Stiles to sit down. Stiles took the seat beside him, sinking into the chair and Derek’s shoulder. He let out a deep sigh, exhausted by the whole ordeal.

“Boyd got here just in time. Another ten minutes and he would’ve missed it. I would also be missing a hand.” Stiles said, wiggling his fingers to try and get the circulation back to normal. Derek reached up, linking his fingers together with Stiles’.

“That would’ve been a shame.” He murmured, pressing his lips to the back of Stiles’ hand. Stiles sighed, smiling contently. “You’re shaking.” Derek frowned, reaching over to put his arm around Stiles’ shoulders. Stiles nestled in as close as their separate chairs would allow them.

“Sorry,” Stiles mumbled, closing his eyes and trying to calm his nerves. Erica was giving birth and there was a small part of Stiles that was worried something might go wrong – but he wouldn’t let himself think that way. “Just nervous.”

Derek chuckled. “Understandably.” They sat in silence for a while; Stiles listening to Derek’s heartbeat, and Derek’s thumb rubbing soothing circles to the back of Stiles’ hand. “You know,” Derek started, “this might be the longest you’ve ever been silent.” Stiles poked Derek’s side, making the other man jolt in his seat. “It was just an observation!”

“Don’t be a butt.” Stiles replied, sitting up so he could fix Derek with a hard look. “I was just thinking.”

“About what?” Derek asked, pulling Stiles back to him.

“Just about the baby. If it’s a girl then they’re naming her Alicia, in memory of Boyd’s sister. But if it’s a boy then they’re naming him Thomas after Erica’s grandfather.” Stiles blew out a huff of exasperated air. “I’m gonna be an uncle.”

Derek leaned over, pecking Stiles’ cheek. “You’re gonna be a great uncle.” Stiles smiled, and then reached up to rest his hand on the back of Derek’s neck. He pulled him in for a kiss, savouring the taste that was unique to Derek’s lips, and the feeling that swelled inside of Stiles’ chest every time they touched.

“Stiles?” He heard Boyd call out for him and pulled away from Derek, momentarily forgetting how to breathe. “Come on.” He was beaming; his smile so wide Stiles was sure it would be permanently frozen that way forever. “You too Derek.” Boyd nodded at the two of them and then disappeared back down the hallway.

Stiles stood, his knees feeling wobbly and his palms sweaty. Derek grabbed his hand and followed in Boyd’s tracks, dragging Stiles behind him. When they reached the room Stiles could hear Erica laughing, and suddenly it all just seemed so _real_.

Derek kissed Stiles’ forehead and then pushed him into the room, giving him the extra little momentum he needed. He saw Erica lying in the bed, a bundle wrapped up in her arms. She looked like she’d just gone through hell, but she was still glowing. Still beautiful.

He approached slowly, looking from Boyd to Erica, back to Boyd and then to the baby.

“Is it a girl or a boy?” Stiles asked, his voice shaky. Erica smiled down at the bundle, sighing before looking back up at Stiles.

“This is Alicia,” she answered, and Stiles couldn’t fight the smile that commandeered his entire face. “She’s a girl,” Erica said, and then shrugged, “unless she wants to change that in the future. But we’re not gonna worry about that quite yet. I think we need to focus on diapers, feeding, and burping.”

“Sounds good to me.” Stiles said, and after he’d sanitized his hands and face, and pretty much every last bit of exposed skin, Erica passed the baby to him and he held Alicia in his arms for the first time. Even though he wasn’t actually related in terms of blood or genetics, he already felt the overwhelming urge to keep her safe and love her with as much as he could.

“She’s beautiful.” Stiles said softly. Erica smiled.

“She takes after me.” She winked at Derek, who was also smiling. “Sorry for interrupting your date. My little lady does love to make a dramatic entrance.”

Derek shrugged. “It’s cool. It was only dinner. No big deal.”

Erica raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s your fifteenth date since the two of you started getting together.” Derek looked down at his feet, a faint blush in his cheeks.

“Sixteenth, actually.” Derek said quietly. “And it’s our five month anniversary.”

“It’s also the day I gave birth so that makes today even more important.” Erica nodded to herself and Boyd rubbed her shoulders.

“Speaking of giving birth, my love needs her rest. As does my baby girl,” Boyd said, crossing to where Stiles was standing beside Erica’s bed. Stiles handed her over; though he wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye just yet.

“Call me if you need anything.” Stiles said over his shoulder as Derek tried to usher him out. “I’ll swing by Target and grab you a couple boxes of diapers,” he was still talking, even though they were out in the hallway. “Remember to call me when you know when you’re getting released!”

“Come on,” Derek chuckled, pulling Stiles along to make sure he wouldn’t wind up back at their hospital room. Once they made it out of the hospital and to the parking lot, Stiles slumped on the side of his jeep. Derek joined him, bumping his shoulders against Stiles’. “Crazy night, eh?”

Stiles chuckled. “Yeah, it really was.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t tell them.” Derek smirked, grabbing Stiles’ hand in his. “I thought you’d be shouting it from the rooftops by now.”

Stiles laughed a little breathlessly. “Trust me, I want to. But this is their night.”

Derek nodded. “Yeah, but it’s also ours.” Stiles sighed, leaning into Derek’s body a little.

“I’ll tell them tomorrow.” Stiles said, and then reached into his pocket to fish out his car keys. “I’m warning you now though, Erica will probably want to plan the whole thing.”

“She gets to have her own wedding,” Derek said, crossing to the passenger side of the jeep. “Why don’t we get to plan our own?”

Stiles half smiled, tilting his head. “Are you sure you wanna go down that rabbit hole Derek? Because I have ideas. Lots and lots of ideas.”

Derek shrugged and the two of them hopped into the jeep. “As long as I get to marry you.”

Stiles leaned over, stealing a kiss before turning on his jeep. “Well, considering you proposed and I said yes… I think it’s safe to say you get to marry me.” Stiles winked at him, and then started on their way home, back to the apartment.

He couldn’t wait to see Erica, Boyd, and Alicia again. He also couldn’t wait to start the rest of his life with Derek. They’d all be one big family.

Stiles couldn’t imagine a happier ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who read this and for all your comments and kudos! You're all beautiful and I love ya!


End file.
